Film

05/10/2015

"A video grab from the YouTube film believed to show hostage John Cantlie walking round the Iraqi city of Mosul. Photograph: PA"

ISIS has released a new propaganda video featuring British journalist John Cantlie reporting on the conditions ISIS is working through on Aleppo in Syria. The video seems to be propaganda to show that ISIS is still strong and well, despite the bombings and attacks made on their lands.

"The photojournalist presents the documentary-style clip in English, claiming that “life in Mosul is business as usual” and that media reports suggesting the city is “depressed” and “living in fear” are “misleading”." (The Guardian)

"Cantlie also shows a religious school and a court, where he explains that Islamic Sharia law "is 1,400 years old. And it is the rule of God, the rule of Allah. And therefore it cannot be changed." He cites, for example, that the punishment for robbery is having one's hand cut off." (CNN)

British journalist, Cantlie has made several videos for ISIS while hostage, but this latest video leaves wide room for speculation on his life, calling this "the last of this series. This gives people around the world an erie feeling and a reminder that Cantlie is still at risk of survival. Many people have bashed Cantlie, claiming that he is a trader for making these ISIS videos, creating these propaganda videos to lure others from the West to join ISIS. He has been held hostage for over two years by ISIS, becoming captive in November 2012. Cantlie is dressed in casual civilian wear in the latest video, as to show he is just a ordinary citizen speaking of the every day activities he views around him. Being hostage, Cantlie, strangely calm in the recent video series for ISIS, and is clearly under duress, doing all that he can to stay alive.

"Cantlie refers to the latest video as "the last film in this series." He does not discuss his fate as a hostage, though he has previously commented on threats to his life. The videos he is forced to make are well liked in the jihadist community, considering that a number of accounts on social media have advocated for ISIS to keep Cantlie alive so he could continue creating the propaganda films." (Newsweek)

Pleas for Cantlie's freedom have been sent to ISIS by his family members.

"His family have repeatedly called on Isis to set him free, with Cantlie's father Paul, 80, sending a message to Isis appealing for his son's freedom. He died shortly afterwards.

03/20/2015

In 2012, a 23 year old female student in Delhi along with a male companion were victims of a vicious assault. The young woman had been brutally gang raped on a public bus for several hours before being left to fight for her life in a hospital. In the end her injuries were so bad that she died from them. Wishing to shed light on the crime, director Leslee Udwin interviewed one of the rapists in prison and made a documentary about it. The documentary titled "India's Daughter" has been banned from release in India.

Every country has problems with different forms of censorship, but one must wonder with India being the world's largest democracy, why is free speech being stifled? The home minister Rajnath Singh conveyed a feeling of shame brought to his country by the words of the rapist, Mukesh Singh. He and many others believe that the film glorifies the criminal and gives him a platform to share his sick and perverted views on women's place in Indian society. As noble of a gesture as this might be, banning the film undermines a much larger problem in Indian culture; despite being such an advanced nation, India is another in a long list of countries that suffers from misogynistic societal norms.

These norms include but are not limited to the popular South Asian practice of "Eve Teasing". Eve Teasing is in its simplest form, sanctioned sexual harassment. Women in South Asiancountries experience constant verbal abuse, groping, pinching, pushing, and poking from men who are just having "fun" in one of the most juvenile ways they can. There's a slew of laws and practices that value men over women in this culture, and perhaps that is the reason why showing this movie has been banned; it might not be that the country will be ashamed that five Indian men committed such an atrocity, but rather that the views expressed by these rapists coincide with views expressed by many people who have been raised in the same culture. The director (right) of the documentary has said that her work can be used as a "powerful tool for change".

The documentary has been unofficially screened in the slum homes of the rapists, and will hopefully be shown to more upper class Indian residents to enlighten them not only to the mindset of the men who committed the crime, but also to the underlying problem that as long as societies throughout the world, not just in India, continue to devalue women, these atrocities will continue to happen.

03/04/2015

Popular all over the world, Japanese animation (Commonly known as anime) has become a multibillion Yen export. Lots of Anime series and movies are based off their illustrated counterparts, Manga (Japanese comic books). If a single story is created in manga form, chances are it can be turned into an anime series, launch action figure, video game, and apparel sales, even inspire live action films. In some cases, theme parks could even spawn from the womb of artful creation that is manga/anime.

In 2009 Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso aimed to create 500,0oo new jobs, raise exports of Japanese "soft power" (Anime, film, manga, games, etc.) from 2% to 18% and in doing so, save the economy. Since Japan relies so heavily on overseas sales, it's no wonder the popular anime/manga series Dragon Ball Z (above) has made its comeback in the last few years.

Although the series ended in 2003, Akira Toriyama's brainchild has still maintained a cult following, remaining one of the most popular anime series in the world. DBZ's follow up series Dragon Ball GT, not so much. Even though the series ended in 2003, it was remastered, re-edited and re-released in 2009 as Dragon Ball Z Kai. The series has still retained its popularity, tying with Spongebob Squarepants in cable TV ratings just last month. 2013 saw a new feature length animated film carrying the title of Dragon Ball Z: Battle of the Gods. (right)This film was greatly anticipated by the American fans who grew up in the 90's watching the original show. It's anticipation was met with a theatrical release in over 350 theaters in the U.S. and Canada in August of 2014.

The trailer for another DBZ film, "Resurrection of F" (below) has just surfaced all over the internet, exciting fans worldwide. Some may have criticisms of the film but regardless, another film has emerged from a franchise thought to be dead! This is closely following the American release of the video game Dragon Ball Xenoverse (left) in the U.S. This is a win-win for fans of the franchise, but also for the Japanese economy which has been following through on their plan to revitalize through the creation and export of more anime/manga, and other soft power products. Perhaps this is contributing the the upward trend the Japanese economy is predicted to have this year.

03/03/2015

"The Interview", a Sony film, pushes boundaries of the North Korean regime. The movie shows off how weak of a country the North Koreans actually are by showing the peoples poverty and belief in their leader. Many political relationships between North Korea and other countries are put on the line due to "The Interview" shining a light onto North Korea's regime.

"The Interview" entails a U.S. celebrity interviewer invited to interview North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Un, and in the process the United States FBI plots to assassinate Kim Jong Un with the help of the celebrity interviewer. It opens up topics for the celebrity interviewer to possibly ask Kim Jung Un such as, why does North Korea spend billions of dollars on their nuclear weapons program but needs a hand out of $100 million from the UN to feed their people. Such things as famine, brainwashing propaganda, and censorship show how much the regime controls its people. This movie has the power to challenge the North Korean regime and authority. It also shows other countries like America that despite all of North Korea's missiles and nuclear threats, North Korea is a repressed country. According to the Washington Post,

"That is why the North Koreans have reacted so aggressively. Because if this movie is seen by audiences around the world, and if copies are pirated in to North Korea, it is a very real challenge to the ruling regime's legitimacy."

Being that "The Interview" is a Sony Pictures film, and Sony is a Japanese company that has since expanded into America, there were some concerns that it was possible that the movie would destroy the negations and relationship between North Korea and Japan. This movie has the potential to distance and ruin the relationship the Japanese is trying to build with North Korea. In the past there has been abductions in Japan and test missiles that have launched towards Japan. The Wrap reports,

"A New York Times exposé published Dec. 14 suggested that Sony CEO Kazuo Hirai intervened in creative decisions for “The Interview” to avoid provoking Pyongyang:“While many Americans seem to see North Korea as too distant to keep them awake at night, many Japanese see it as a very visible threat. Until three decades ago, North Korean agents occasionally snatched people off beaches in neighboring Japan to serve as Japanese-language teachers, and long-range North Korean rockets on test runs still fly ominously over Japan’s main islands.”

Could a movie starring comedians James Franco and Seth Rogan have so much power as to destroy the bonds and agreements made by North Korea and Japan? According to a NewYorkTimes.com article,

"North Korea fired three short-range projectiles off its east coast on Thursday, a day after it warned of retaliation against the release of an American comedy film involving a plot to kill its leader, Kim Jong-un."

It remains unclear if the act was in retaliation of the movie "The Interview", or not.

North Korea has said that they view "The Interview" as "an act of war". Time will tell if these wounds can heal between the countries.

03/02/2015

It's no secret that Japan and China have a very brutal and bloody history . China's malice towards Japan goes back ages, some of the most prominent conflicts between them being the Nanjing Massacre and the Japanese atrocities of World War II. China's hate for everything Japanese is prevalent, especially in 2012 when anti-Japanese protests resulted in the vandalizing and destruction of any Japanese stores or stores selling Japanese goods; during these acts of violence protesters were met with no resistance from Chinese law enforcement.

So keeping in mind how much distaste the Communist-run country holds for Japan, it becomes even more of a point to note that one of the hottest commodities in China is Japanese Pornography. The Chinese Communist Party does not allow porn in the country, they've even gone to such lengths as to hire officers to keep track of and censor pornography in China. Still, where there's a will there's a way. From bootlegged DVD's to torrent downloading, Japanese porn is one of the many vices that has found its way into the Chinese underground culture.

Japanese adult film Actresses have shown interest in helping to aid the relief of China's citizens in more ways than one. Japanese porn stars such as Sora Aoi (now retired, right) have joined Chinese social media sites, visited the country, and helped raise money for Chinese charities and disaster reliefs. Capitalizing on their fame in China, these actresses seem to have becomeunofficial ambassadors who are subtly smoothing over tensions in their rival countries.

China's official news agency Xinhua has perhaps inadvertently shown support for the Japanese adult industry by listing the twitter page "Absolute JP Porn" as one of the pages it follows. This seems like too much of a publicity nightmare to be true, but there is visual evidence showing Xinhua as a follower of a site that they should have no part in. There were also rumors that a Chinese company called "Qihoo 360" offered a night with Japanese porn star Julia Kyoka (left) to its male employees as an incentive award for successful employees come Chinese New Year. Qihoo 360 has since denied that there ever was such an award, probably to the dismay of many a lonely worker of the firm.

It's hard to take the idea seriously, that Japanese pornography might be the one way to link two cultures that have been at odds for decades. Japanese porn thriving in a country where there would normally be zero demand for such entertainment is another example of media making the world a little bit smaller by bridging cultural gaps. Perhaps the presence of a genre that many consider to be filth has begun to extinguish a fire that has been burning for too long.

02/18/2015

Politics is often considered one of the taboo subjects one should not discuss, lest they wish to start an argument. People have particular convictions about political opinions, and will defend them to the death. So what are politicians to do when political satire comedian Al Murray made his bid for parliament? Popular for his on stage persona, "The Pub Landlord", Murray has decided to run as his character.

Not many are taking his bid seriously, including UKIP (United Kingdom Independence Party) leader Nigel Farage. Farage has sarcastically said that Murray is welcome in the race, and that there will be "serious competition". Farage has also shown no sign of being intimidated by tweeting "the more the merrier!" at Murray. Although Murray stands a slim chance of winning votes for any sort of office under his designated FUKP (Free United Kingdom Party), he does appear to have quite the historical and political knowledge one would look for in a candidate for office.

Murray's policies do not seem to warrant serious consideration, like taking the U.K. to outer space by 2025 or lowering the price of a pint of beer. Despite his most likely not attaining a seat inparliament, perhaps his running for office will do well to shake the apathy of younger voters who might take more of a notice in politics by seeing an entertainment figure in the political spotlight.

As technology continues to gradually advance in Nigeria, the influence media plays on its flourishing entertainment industry has increased. Over the years Nigeria has built a reputable film industry, to which the natives of the country regard to as "Nollywood". Since the early 90s, Nollywood has grown rapidly, proof being that the industry is now the second largest. India holds the title of the largest film industry, while the United States trails in third. The music industry alike Nollywood, has also taken off in the past decade, as more Nigerian musicians are recognized internationally. With such great advancement in the industry, the media's role has become more crucial to it's success, as people outside of Nigeria are beginning to take notice.

A conference "sought to engage and sustain a dialogue amongst stakeholders in the industry", was declared open by Director General, Nigeria Economic Summit Group, Frank Nweke Jr.The primary goal for the conference was to develop creative, innovative ideas to make sure the blossoming industry continues to thrive In the beginning duration of the conference, Nweke expresses his concern of importing entertainment from other countries. He emphasized on National Television Authority's work in creating great local content during the 1980s and how the industry needs to get back to that plateau of creating good local production throughout all divisions of Nollywood, whether being in films or TV dramas.

Megalectrics CEO, Chris Ubosi told the conference that smartphones have major responsibility on the economic breakthrough of the industry.

Chris Ubosi

According to Ubosi, ""Accessing content is now tilting more towards the new media, which is being consumed in multiple platforms, especially through mobile phones. There are over 100 million mobile phones in circulation, 45 million Internet users are estimated to exist in Nigeria and about 54 million Nigerians probably use mobile phones." He also talks about social media becoming an "integral" attribution to the growth of the entertainment industry, as Nigeria's data consumption from social media use is one of the highest in the continent.

A report by PriceWaterHouseCoopers has estimated that Nigeria’s entertainment and media industries’ revenues will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 16.1 per cent from $4 billion in 2013 to an $8.5 billion in 2018. Nigeria’s entertainment and media growth rates are the fastest growth rates in the world, according to the report.

Nigerian music is also prospering from within the core of it all, as more artists are able to producing their music locally, rather than moving to regions that were more dominant at the time. All of the ideas brought up during the conference were inspired by the theme of it all, "growing the industry of our dreams by growing from within."

02/11/2015

The internet has been buzzing ever since Academy Award nominee Benedict Cumberbatch used the term "colored" to describe Black actors during an interview. Many used social media to lash out against Cumberbatch's insensitive use of the term, missing his overall message. Cumberbatch used the term whilst sharing his opinion on how Black actors are underutilized and underappreciated in British television and film; this opinion does not belong to him alone, and is shared by much of the entertainment community in the U.K.

"Selma" star David Oyelowo came to Cumberbatch's aid by calling the backlash "disingenuous" and saying that the message of his words was immediately overlooked by those who live in an age "--where people are looking for sound bites as opposed to substance." Cumberbatch has since apologized publicly for his lack of better judgment in this matter. The question still stands, are people of color being ignored in the U.K's entertainment industry?

Oyelowo says yes, citing his own career as an example among many. Known for his role in the series "Spooks" on BBC One, Oyelowo had not gained international notoriety until moving to Los Angeles in 2007. Since his relocation he's played iconic roles in "The Butler", and most recently in Golden Globe Best Motion Picture "Selma" in which he portrays the late Martin Luther King Jr.(left) His role opposite Matthew McConaughey in "Interstellar" might prove his point a little better; he plays a character who was not written as a person of color. He and Ryan Gosling actually auditioned for his role in "Interstellar"(right). This is an occurrence that Oyelowo says "doesn't happen often." Oyelowo has commented on the roles available-- or that should be available to black actors in Britain as his reason for coming to the U.S.,

"We make period dramas in Britain, but there are almost never black people in them, even though we've been on these shores for hundreds of years.--I thought, 'Okay, you are stopping people having a context for the country they live in and you are marginalizingme."

Other British-born actors of color like Idris Elba (left) have mentioned the difficulty involved with trying to attain a role in the entertainment industry of their mother country, "every job I ever got I had to fight for. I’m an odd, tall, black man that doesn’t quite fit in." While in the U.S. Elba has also played iconic roles such as that of Nelson Mandela (right). He's also co-starred alongside Chris Hemsworth in Marvel's "Thor" series. Since his success in the U.S. he's said, "--here I am 25 years later in what I consider to be a very well-rounded career."

Is the answer for U.K.'s actors of color simply to move to the states to attain careers in Hollywood? "our most talented actors are getting increasingly frustrated and having to go to America to succeed" says British comedian Larry Henry (Bottom Right). Back home, Henry's been pushing for a more ethnically diverse entertainment industry. This includes jobs not just for Black actors, but for what's known as the BAME (Black, Asian, Minority, and Ethnic) community on and off camera. The industry's BAME involvement is at a startling 5.4%, says Henry, which is "an appalling percentage because the majority of our industry is based around London where the black and Asian population is 40%." In addition to citing these statistics during his lecture at the British Academy of Film and Television Awards (BAFTA), he commented on Idris Elba's success with his show on BBC America, "Luther" saying that Elba stars as an "intellectual, troubled maverick cop who has no black friends or family.", then questioned "You never see Luther with black people. What's going on?" A good question considering Elba's success can provide faith in financial backers for a show featuring a Black protagonist but not in other Black actors.

Director of BBC Television Danny Cohen has responded to Henry's indignation,

"BBC Television is committed to diversity both on and off screen but we're always looking at how we can improve, including the recent launch of apprenticeship schemes with both the Mama Youth project and Stephen Lawrence Trust for example"

The Mama Youth Project is a charity whose aim is to provide disadvantaged young people with experience and skills that will help them to secure "long-term and fulfilling employment." BBC TV and Sky have sponsored courses that spend 12 weeks training the youth involved with this charity in media production. BBC has announced its collaboration with the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust to "launch a three-month training programme for young people from BAME backgrounds." Channel 4 has said that BAME companies have used the channel's Two-Million-Pound Alpha Fund which aims to support and develop ideas from an ethnically diverse talent base across the U.K.

Changes are being made to include a more diverse entertainment industry, even if they are being made slowly. The U.K.'s largest film fund, the British Film Institute announced in 2014 that they're looking for anyone applying for financial backing to demonstrate diversity on and off camera, including members of the LBGT community, women, and people who have disabilities. Hopefully the U.K. will take note of the money Hollywood is making with British actors of color, and start thinking twice before they refuse roles to these same actors.

12/04/2014

Vine is a mobile video sharing app. It allows its users to create and share six second videos. The videos loop continuously and are posted online. Vine is owned by Twitter. It can be used to show action and explain stories. Journalists use Vine to share videos of breaking news as it is happening.

10/06/2014

On Thursday, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) gave permission to six television and film firms, which allows these firms to use drones are Astraeus Aerial, Aerial MOB, HeliVideo Productions, Pictorvision Inc., RC Pro Productions Consulting, and Snaproll Media.